Cabinet for sound reproducing equipment



April 27, 1965 R. s. HUFF ETAL CABINET FOR SOUND REPRODUCING EQUIPMENTOriginal Filed March 26, 1959 United States Patent 3,180,447 CABINET FORSOUND REPRODUCING EQUIPMENT Robert S. Hutf, Oak Park, and JosephHorziclr, West Chicago, Ill., assignors to Motorola, Inc., Chicago, 1th,a corporation of Illinois Original application Mar. 26, 1959, Ser. No.892,146, now Patent No. 3,090,462, dated May 21, 1963. Divided and thisapplication Jan. 21, 1963, Ser. No. 252,676

1 Ciaim. (Cl. 131-31) This invention relates to cabinets for housingelectronic equipment, and more particularly to improvements in cabinetsfor housing'electro-acoustical devices for reproducing stereophonicsound. This application is a division of application Serial No. 802,146,filed March 26, 1959, now U. S. Patent No. 3,090,462.

Proper reproduction of stereophonic sound depends upon several factorsincluding correctly matched equipment, correct operation and adjustmentthereof and correct arrangement of the separate channel loudspeakersystems. The positioning of the speaker systems presents a difficultproblem since at least some of the speakers for the separate channelsshould preferably be spaced a substantial distance from each other andshould be adjustable so that they can be positioned to provide the beststereo effect.

Present day one piece table or portable cabinets such as are in popularuse for standard and hi-fidelity monophonic sound reproductionequipment, do not have the optimum physical arrangement required forcorrect reproduction of stereophonic sound. Since such a cabinetarrangement is preferred by many people over systems housed in amultiplicity of separate cabinets, it is desirable to provide a singlecabinet combination for housing stereophonic equipment constructed so asto over- 1 come these problems.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an improvedcabinet arrangement for housing stereophonic sound reproducingequipment.

A further object is to provide a cabinet for housing electronicequipment having sound reproducing speakers whereby enclosing means forthe speakers may be easily opened and/ or removed from the cabinetproper, may be operated adjacent to or at a distance therefrom, and maybe received in the cabinet when the equipment is not in use to blendharmoniously therewith.

Another object of this invention is to provide a cabinet havingenclosing means for speaker systems which are mounted to permit swingingmovement from a closed integrated position to open spaced operationalpositions, thereby allowing a number or" different relative positions ofthe enclosing means.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a cabinet forhousing stereophonic sound reproducing equipment which when closed formsa structure of a size and shape to permit carrying by hand, and whenopened permits spaced positioning of sound reproducing means for properstereophonic operation.

A feature of this invention is the provision in a cabinet for housingsound reproduction equipment of separate speaker enclosures pivotallymounted on the cabinet so that they may be easily swung from a closednon-operating position to an open playing position.

Another feature of this invention is the provision of a cabinet forstereophonic sound equipment having detachable hinge-mounted speakerenclosures with provisions for extensible electrical connections to thecabinet equipment so that they may be operated both when at tached tothe cabinet and when placed at a distance from the cabinet.

A further feature of the invention is the provision of a cabinet havinga main or central portion having surfaces shaped to symmetricallyreceive at least two speaker enclosures thereon, the speaker enclosuresbeing shaped to mate therewith to enclose said surfaces and to form acompact and harmonious cabinet configuration when the speakers areattached thereto in their closed position.

in the accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a portable cabinet with two speakerenclosures shown in opened position;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating the portable cabinet of FIG. 1in carrying position; and

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view illustrating in detail the hingestructure in FIG. 1.

A table or portable cabinet constructed in accordance with the presentinvention includes a central or main portion adapted -to houseelectronic equipment. Two smaller enclosures forsupporting and housingelectro-acoustical devices are mounted on the central portion of thecabinet. These enclosures are constructed to match the configuration ofthe central portion of the cabinet so that an integrated and unitarycabinet embodiment of the entire sound reproduction system is presentedby the central cabinet portion and the enclosures. The enclosures may bepivotally mounted to serve as door-like portions so that various angularpositions are readily obtained by merely pivoting one or both enclosureswithout removing them from the cabinet. They are usually symmetricallylocated on the central portion, and are automatically spaced from eachother by the central portion when pivoted to their operating position.The hinges may include disengageable parts so that the enclosures may beremoved from the cabinet. Extensible electrical connections may beprovided to allow placement and operation of the enclosures :at variouslocations spaced from the cabinet.

A portable cabinet housing equipment for reproducing stereophonic soundis shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. A box shaped center portion 70 houses arecord changing and playing mechanism including turntable 71, recordsupport arm 72 and tone arm 73. It is apparent that a simplestereophonic record player or tape playing apparatus may be substitutedfor the record changing mechanism. A control panel 74 supporting controlknobs 75 is located at the rear of the center portion 70 and controlsamplifying and other electronic equipment. A hinged compartment lid 76,shown in an upright open position in FIG. 1, can be swung down to aclosed position to completely cover the center portion 70.

Speaker enclosures and 81 are provided on the left and right of thecenter portion 70 of the portable cabinet. Enclosure 80 provides ahousing for left audio channel speakers 82 and 83. Similarly, enclosure81 provides a housing for right audio channel speakers 84 and 85.Enclosure 80 is pivotally mounted at the rear of the center portion 70by hinges as generally indicated at 86, which may be standardbreak-apart hinges such as the C-type hinge best shown in the explodedperspective view of FIG. 3. Enclosure 81 is also hinge mounted at therear of the right side of the center portion 70 by similar hingingmeans.

As shown in FIG. 3, the C-type hinge 86 includes a male portion having acurved prong 87 and a flat surface adapted for mounting on the rear sideof enclosure 80. The mating hinge part has a slot 88 and a post 89 toreceive the prong 87. This allows the enclosure 80 to pivot away fromthe center portion 70. When the prong 87 is fully withdrawn from theslot 88 the enclosure 80 is free of the cabinet. Thus fastening,pivoting and removal of the enclosure can be quickly achieved by the useof this type of hinge.

Referring again to FIG. 1, the speakers 82 and 83 are electricallyconnected to equipment in the center portion 70 by means of line cord90. A plug 91 at the end of line cord 90 is received in jack 92 of sidevent grill 93. When the enclosure 80 is attached to the center cabinet70, the excess line cord may be stored in the rear end of enclosure 80.The grill cloth 94 covering the inside surface of the enclosure 80contains an oversized opening 95 to facilitate storage of line cord 90in the enclosure. The line cord may be of any desired length, but isnormally about feet in length. Thus, as illustrated by the dotted figureof enclosure 81 in FIG. 1, either or both enclosures may be detachedfrom the center portion of the cabinet and placed at any location withina radius determined by the length of their respective line cordconnections.

At the front top and front bottom corners of the grill 94 there areprovided studs 96 and 97. An eyelet 98 at the bottom front corner of thecabinet 70 is aligned with stud 97. Another eyelet 99 is provided on theupper front corner of lid 76. When the lid 76 is closed this eyelet andstud 96 will also be in alignment. When the enclosure 80 is swung inwardagainst the cabinet 70 and the lid 76 is in its closed position, thestuds 96 and 97 will snap into eyelets 99 and 98 respectively, and thusprovide a means of securing the lid 76 in'its closed position. The rightenclosure 81 is similarly provided with studs 101 and 102 which willprovide engagement between the enclosure 81 and the center portion 70,and also with the lid 76 when it is closed. Thus the lid 76 will besecured on both sides when the portable phonograph cabinet is completelyfolded together, as in FIG. 2.

On either side of the front of the center cabinet 70 there are providedcabinet catches 103 and 104. These catches snap over catch lugs 105 and106 to hold enclosures 80 and 81 respectively against the sidesof thecenter A'handle 107 is provided on the front of the.

The. foregoing cabinet constructed in accordance with the principles ofthe invention provides a compact unitary housing construction forstereophonic equipment which permits individual arrangement of thespeaker systems for each channel. Stereophonic equipment housed in thecabinet is therefore adaptable to meet the acoustical problems presentedby common variations in room layout and furnishings. The cabinet is thuswell adapted to mass production for the consumer'market.

The stereo effect is highly dependent on listening position, and in thecabinet illustrated it is possible to swivel the enclosures to thedesired angles without removing the enclosures. Of course, theenclosures may also be angled as desired when they are detached. Thisflexibility is achived without sacrificing the compactness and beauty ofthe cabinet. The speakers may be spaced and angled as desired withoutupsetting the straight-forward look of the unitary Ca in and theenclosures also serve as double-sided doors to enclose the cabinet andpresent a harmonious finished appearance therewith. A cabinet is thusprovided to house all equipment needed for reproduction of stereophonicsound and which may be styled as a compact portable unit having afunctional construction ideally suited to solve the problems ofpresenting stereophonic sound.

We claim:

Portable record playing equipment for reproducing stereophonic sound,including in combination,

a main housing having a carrying handle thereon, electrical componentsincluding a turntable and a tone arm Within said main housing,

said main housing having a cover pivotally mounted thereto and movablewith respect to the front of said main housing for access to saidturntable,

left and right speaker enclosures and respective speaker s therein forreproducing stereophonic signals,

break-apart hinges supporting each of said speaker en closures at anedge of the wall of said main housing to which said cover is pivotallymounted,

said speaker enclosures being foldable against said main housing, andsaid cover being pivotal to closed position on said main housing andbetween said speaker enclosures, to form a closed compact assembly witha uniform exterior contour,

locking means on said speaker enclosures, said main housing and saidcover cooperating to secure said enclosures, said cover, and said mainhousing in closed condition for carrying purposes,

electric cords connecting said electrical components to said speakers,

" said main housing and saidspeaker enclosures having respectiveopenings to receive said cords for signal coupling therebetween,

said speaker enclosures being pivotal away from said main housing onsaid hinges and said speaker enclosures being detachable from said mainhousing to be spaced therefrom with said cords extended for stereophonicsound reproduction with selected spacings of said speakers, saidopenings to receive said cords providing storage access for said cordswith said equipment in closed condition.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,036,832 4/36Scheldorf 18131.1 2,115,773 5/38 Hill 181-31.1 2,547,447 4/51 De Boer181--31.1 2,878,375 3/59 Schachtel 181-31.1 2,923,370 .2/ De Capite18131.1

FOREIGN PATENTS.

781,637 4/57 Great Britain. 909,299 12/45 France.

LEO SMILOW, Primary Examiner,

